Bus Stop
by Jan2StaMuse
Summary: Suppose Niles never married Maris and one day found himself without his Mercedes. That's all I'm saying. Written in Niles' POV. One-shot.


A/N: As a huge fan of 60s and 70s music, this story was inspired by an awesome 60s song called...wait for it... "Bus Stop". Funny thing is, I only know the chorus by memory and have absolutely no idea what the rest of the song says LOL. R&R

**Bus Stop**

I, Niles Crane, the respected psychiatrist, am so happy public transportation exists. And I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm also glad my car broke down when it did. Had it not been for that I would have never- Well, I'll get to that soon enough.

Now, you're probably wondering why I'm praising something as common as a bus or monorail, right. Well, this is how the whole thing started. It may seem silly but it's true.

My car had been giving me trouble for months before it finally gave out in the middle of a busy intersection during rush hour. It was an embarrassing ordeal, to say the least. With the help of a kind stranger, I managed to push my car into a vacant lot. Not without first being subjected to the colorful and profane language of the many angry and impatient drivers.

A cell phone call to the auto shop, a tow truck, and a long list of repairs later, I was left without a car or a way to get to work the next day.

For the first two weeks, Elisa, a neighbor, insisted on giving me a ride to work since she also happened to work in the same building at a dentist's office. I accepted but our budding friendship and carpooling relationship ended as quickly as it began when I nervously asked her out on a date. She turned me down so now our encounters in the hall ways of the Montana are awkward at best.

With my father, Martin, at the hospital recovering from a gunshot to the hip and a brother on the other side of the country, I had run out of options.

Monday morning, three weeks to the day that my precious Mercedes had broken down, I stood staring out my bedroom window relieved that the rain had subsided to a light drizzle. There was no telling what damage my expensive suede shoes might have suffered had I walked to the bus stop in that torrential downpour. At least the day was beginning to look promising.

I still had to get to and from work in one piece.

The night before I'd done extensive and thorough research on public transportation, focusing more on the nearest bus stops to my apartment, fare required and the route I was going to take. According to the map I acquired during my research, I was to take two buses that would get me to the medical building where I worked in less than 45 minutes. It wasn't too bad but i wasn't going to take any chances. That Monday, I left and hour early...Just to be safe.

The bus stop was just around the corner from the Montana and the rain had ceased completely so I decided against taking an umbrella. The sky was still cloudy -giving the day a less than inviting look- but for someone who's lived his entire life in the city; it was nothing out of the ordinary. I, on the other hand, still don't like the rain or the damp which is why I kept hoping the bus would arrive before it started to rain again.

Aside from the elderly woman sitting on the bus bench, I was the only other person waiting at the stop and it felt strange and uncomfortable. It wasn't my first time on the bus, though. I'd done this once before, years ago when I was dating an anarchist. Ah, I was so young and adventurous.

I suppose I could have rented a car and saved all this trouble but living at the Montana was quite expensive and a good portion of my check went to repairing my car.

"Excuse me, sir?" I turned to find the most enchanting and stunning brunette with deep brown eyes standing next to me. "Is this yours?" She was holding the map I'd been carrying along with my briefcase. I must have dropped it at some point without noticing.

"Yes, thank you." I tried to say more but the smile she presented me with -so perfect and beautiful- was enough to leave any man mesmerized and more than a bit enamored.

"Hold on to that map," she said. What a sweet voice. "You don't want to get lost without it." She laughed, making my knees weaken. "Is this your first time?"

"Uh, no. But it's been a while."

"You should be fine." She placed a hand on my shoulder. "I'm Daphne by the way."

Extending my hand, I introduced myself. "Niles Crane." Her hand was so, so soft and warm.

As luck would have it and just as the day was beginning to look more promising, the heavens opened up and drenched the city in rain. Daphne quickly opened her umbrella while I frantically searched for something to shield myself with. An old newspaper served as protection for about two second before the rain started ripping it to shreds with its power. I cursed over and over the moment I decided to leave my own umbrella behind. It's Seattle. I should have known better. But then, like an angel to the rescue, Daphne grabbed me by the arm and pulled me under her umbrella.

"I'd hate to see you get to your destination soaking wet. Not to mention the cold you can catch."

"That's very sweet of you," I responded. Never in my life had I been happier to be single because with that sole gesture of kindness I fell madly in love with her. But I was getting ahead of myself. For all I knew, this beautiful creature might've been taken, if not married. According to her finger though, which did not have any kind of ring, she was still single but who was to say she didn't have a boyfriend.

I could've asked.

Anyway, there we were standing under the same umbrella, shoulder to shoulder, and we didn't say a word to each other for about ten minutes. She would glance over at me and smile or peer out into the road to see if our bus was coming but no such luck. Meanwhile, I couldn't stop staring at her long legs. I know it was rude but she was wearing such a short flowered dress.

It made me wonder who Daphne was, what she liked, where she had come from, what were her dreams. I wanted to know everything about her because she was someone I'd definitely liked to get to know better.

I was so busy with my thoughts that I didn't even notice it had stopped raining or that our bus had arrived. Or so I thought. Apparently her bus was one of several that came to that one particular stop to pick up passengers. I must have missed that little detail during my research.

"See you around, Niles," she said to me in that sweet English accent before she boarded the bus.

"Bye," I said and she was gone. Minutes later my bus arrived and so began my journey to work.

Later that evening as I sat in my living room with a sherry glass in hand, I gave myself a congratulatory -and metaphorical- pat in the back because I'd managed to get to and from work in one piece.

It gave me a sense of pride and accomplishment for conquering something I'd never thought I'd do. The buses were terribly dirty, though; I had to wipe my seat several times before I felt it was clean enough to sit in. And the people! Some were terribly rude and pushy when the bus got crowded while others just kept to themselves. At least day one was over and done with. I just had to go through it again the next day. And Daphne was still very much on my mind.

Tuesday morning came and unlike the day before, the rain wouldn't stop. It just kept coming down in sheets but I was prepared with my trusty umbrella. Although it was highly unlikely that I would see Daphne again, I still put on my best suit and on my way to the stop rehearsed what I'd prepared to say to her. I was determined to go beyond small talk this time.

As I came around the corner, I spotted her waiting at the stop looking just as lovely as the day before. When she turned and greeted me with a friendly smile I knew it was the beginning of something good.

Every morning for a month, I would see her waiting at the stop. We became fast friends and would purposely get to the stop earlier than usual or miss the bus just to stay and chat. Sometimes she'd shop and she would show me what she bought. Clothes, shoes, or the odd knickknack, like a unicorn for her collection, were among the things that had us laughing and joking like a couple of teenagers. Her laughter was like music. People walking down the street or getting off the bus would stare as if we were both quite insane. Truthfully, I think we were just falling in love.

Every night when I got home from work, I would lie in bed thinking about her and kicking myself for not asking her out on a date or at least for her phone number. She wasn't going to be single forever. Yet, I knew someday my name and hers would be the same.

I should've been happy when my car got fixed but I wasn't because it meant I wouldn't see Daphne in the morning anymore. The way I saw it I had two choices; I could continue to ride the bus or leave at my usual time and catch up to Daphne in the morning, perhaps offering her a ride. The next day I walked to the stop and as usual found my angel waiting with a few bags in hand.

"Hey, Niles! No briefcase today?" she asked.

"Not yet, but I was wondering..."

"Yeah?"

"My car's fixed so I was wondering if you would like me to give you a ride."

I thought she would say no but then she smiled and said, "I'd like that."

We walked back to the parking garage and before she got in the car, she gave me a gentle kiss on the lips followed by another beautiful smile. I nearly passed out. Then I finally asked her. "Would you like to go out with me?"

"Yes, Niles Crane. I'd love to."

I met her in March. By August, Daphne Moon was my bride.

**THE END**


End file.
